7/10/2024

9/17/2025 3:18 PM

326

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Warden

Don't get distracted!

The target has been decided. The deadline has been set. All that is left is for you, Adam Finch, assassin extraordinaire, to execute your mission. Success is inevitable. Because you are weapon made flesh, and nothing will stop you from completing your mis- Oh! Look! A story-game!!

There are 5 endings: 'Double kill', 'War in the shadows', 'Retiree rescue', 'Kiss of death' and 'Who let him cook?!'.

Submitted for End Master's Prompt Contest 4 for the prompt of: 'A story involving being an assassin'

Ignis and Aero

Aero, a 14-year-old inhabitant of the village of Albritton, wants nothing more than to read his enthralling storybooks in peace. When he hears of a Golem wandering in the forests near his village, he is more than happy to let the professionals deal with it, while staying within the comfort of his home.

Unfortunately for him, his adventurous brother, Ignis, has other plans.

Author's note: If you want to collect all endings, then there are six of them: The Wise, The Mourner, The Cleaner, The Knight, The Skeptic and The Magician. Certain choices don't have immediate effects but may influence the endings. Also, certain endings can be reached through multiple different paths.

Submitted for Sherbet's Summer's End Synergy Contest.

Special thanks to mrcrimsonclean for proof reading :]

Of dreams and daemons

Most would be willing to trade a great deal to catch a glimpse of what the future holds. Hannah de Reade, however, has spent her time in Lumintrone ignoring the omens that she sees in her prophetic dreams. All she wanted was some semblance of normalcy.

But when her dreams warn her of a daemonic plot, she is compelled to act against it, leading her to be invited as an honored guest to the Imperial Castle.

However, in a court filled with dark secrets, are her eyes that can pierce through fallacies truly a gift or a curse? You will have to take Hannah's side and guide her through this ordeal that will forever change her fate.

And perhaps you will change the fate of Lumina itself in the process.

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Author's note: There are nine endings. I highly recommend reaching multiple endings since you may not be able to experience the entirety of the plot with one read. While they are not central to the story, I should also warn that themes of domestic abuse and graphic violence are present in it.

You can't just assume I killed Lim because I happen to have taken his form! This was agreed upon by both parties. :\

I stop drinking my third cup of tea and look up. "What?"

"Hello everyone! Clayfinger here," I say, projecting my voice as best as I can. "I know that things aren't exactly going according to plan but as long as we all look out for each other, we should be able to make it out of this just fine. For now, let's just enjoy this feast that's been put out for us!"

Following this announcement, I begin helping myself to the food on the table. :]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. I will keep the points about stakes, parallels and foreshadowing in mind. :D

Regarding point 6, I probably should've made this clearer in the writing but Michael at that point is actively trying to shut out his thoughts and senses since he knows they can be manipulated. He actually has his eyes closed while attempting to recite his prayer. This is why the description of the battle is vague and has little detail.

As for trusting the reader... I'm still trying to strike a balance between making sure everyone is on the same page versus letting readers put together their own pieces of the puzzle. Eventually, I'll find that sweet spot, I'm sure.

Ose maniplulates Michael by implanting false memories of Graham being a pervert. Ose basically wanted Michael to attack Graham on its behalf.

As for why Graham suddenly attacked, he made up a lie to test Agnes' current state of mind.

1. If Agnes recognized the lie, Graham would know that she was neither brainwashed nor a demon in disguise. He would be more inclined to believe in Lily too.
2. If Agnes accepted the lie, then Graham would reveal it to be a lie to see her reaction:
2a. If Agnes became angry and attempted to attack, that would be the worst case scenario since she was likely either fully brainwashed or she was a demon in disguise and the real Agnes was already dead.
2b. If Agnes seemed shocked or confused, then it meant that there was still hope for her and she would only need to be incapacitated so as to not interfere with Lily's/Ose's exorcism.

2b is the path that the story ends up taking. That's why Graham only shoves her aside and goes straight for Lily/Ose.

Hehe. That's the idea. I'll probably keep it for a week, maybe?

Yep, RK got it right that the whole story is from Michael's POV. That being said, this whole thing has been a learning experience for me too. I should probably try to make it clear who third person pronouns refer to.

Thank you so much for setting this up, Mizal. I had a blast writing about a genre that I normally wouldn't mess with. It was a refreshing change of pace. I know you probably had to juggle irl stuff while considering whether the Thunderdome would clash with other stuff that required reader attention like the Gazette battles; I really appreciate that you carved out some time for us.

Lim, you were fantastic. I remember reading the first paragraphs of your story and being worried if I had made mine too simple. Your vividly descriptive writing style was a treat to experience. I think that if you had handled your ending a little better, this thunderdome might have gone very differently. Regardless, I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavors.

And finally, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to vote and leave your thoughts. Usually, I try to reply to any feedback I receive in forum posts so I had to willfully suppress that urge so as to not give away my identity as author of Story B. In any case, I take this opportunity to say that the feedback is always appreciated and I learned a lot from it as usual.

tl;dr Thanks for having me! I'd be more than willing to participate in future thunderdomes.

PS. Per our agreement, I shall now (temporarily) copy Lim's form. :]

PPS. Jury's still out on whether I'm obsessed with anime. XD

Well... I can at least tell you aren't a flat earther. :D

Not really, just wanted to pop in and appreciate the use of repetition. Though now that you mention it, I do notice that you mention the brother was shot. In the last paragraph, however, you say the brother had his life pounded out of him. It seems like a bit of an inconsistency.